How to approach venues for your first gigs

Find the right room, not the biggest room

Start with bills you would genuinely fit. Look at smaller venues, local promoters, community events and support slots where the audience is likely to understand your music. A room’s overall reputation matters less than whether it runs the kind of night you can contribute to.

Check current activity before contacting anyone. An old venue listing may point to a closed room or a promoter who no longer books there. Recent event announcements and the venue’s own website can help you find the current booking route.

Make the booking email easy to answer

Use the published booking route and address the right person where their name is available. Keep the first message short: who you are, why you fit that venue or bill, when you are available and where they can hear or watch you.

Adapt the wording to the relationship. Do not claim a connection to an event you have not actually looked at. Avoid large attachments and leave the recipient with one clear question.

Confirm what the booking actually includes

• The date, venue and named booking contact.
• Arrival, load-in, soundcheck, doors, performance time and expected set length.
• The fee or agreed payment arrangement, who pays and when.
• Who supplies the PA, backline and technical crew, and what you bring.
• Any agreed ticketing, promotion, travel or accommodation responsibilities.
• The process if the show is changed or cancelled.

Prepare the show you agreed to play

Build a setlist that fits the actual time available, including transitions, tuning and introductions. A 30-minute slot is not 30 minutes of music plus ten minutes between songs. Have a realistic plan for getting on and off stage.

Send the current technical information to the appropriate contact and check anything unusual in advance. Do not arrive assuming the house kit, instruments or playback connections will match your rehearsal room. Carry the essential items you are responsible for.